Staring at an unsurmountable list of chicken breeds can be a dizzying experience, but not to worry. The intended use of the chicken can narrow the list considerably. Two basic categories are meat birds (bred to
grow quickly to harvest weight) and egg layers (bred to lay lots of eggs). Deciding what will be expected from the chickens is half the battle, the other half is mostly preference. Breeds differ by appearence, general size, temperment, egg color for layers (white, cream, green, blue or brown), and quality of meat/eggs produced. Choosing the exact breed is up to the person raising the chickens.

More information can be found from any good hatchery. In the discussion page for this section you can find recommend breeds as well as problem breeds as found by other Wikibooks users.

Meat Breeds
Many people buy hybrids that are bred to grow to slaughter weight by around 8 weeks of age. These are commonly marketed under the names of Cornish Cross and Ross Cobb.
There are also many pure breeds that are classified as meat breeds, such as the Sussex and Jersey Giant.